You're Not an Idiot
by Angelic Land
Summary: <html><head></head>Begins when Judal barges in on Sinbad's alone time. Afterwards, forbidden love unfolds between the Kou Empire's high priest and Sindria's king: Sinbad. Written specifically for Hylianshadow86, so if you aren't him, don't read this. Just kidding! haha. I'm not doing a good job summarizing this am I?</html>
1. Chapter 1

**This is dedicated to Hylianshadow86. I love you so much. Only you could make me actually write magical sex! So... enjoy!**

After having another conversation about marriage with Ja'far, Sinbad sat in his chamber thinking. Although he was king of the seven seas, he hated being reminded that he was 29 years old and had yet to even have one intimate relationship.

_Why do I need to get married? Every time Ja'far catches me in this mood, he tells me that getting married is going to solve my problems. I don't know of a single woman in this country that I would even consider. I don't think he even realizes it, but I would prefer him over anyone. I love him, but he refuses to let me express that. From the very day I laid eyes on him years ago, I thought the search was over. I've never told him exactly how I feel, but judging from the fact that he constantly urges me to marry, I could never tell him. Why are you so dense, Ja'far? I don't need to have a queen to make me a better man. I just don't want to be alone!_

Sinbad let his head fall onto his arms, resting on the table. He was indeed the strongest man that sailed the seven seas, and harnessed a tremendous amount of military strength, yet he lacked the ability to accept that he was gay for over ten years. Fortunately, it didn't bother him personally as much as it would the public.

_Every time I try to talk to Ja'far, he refuses to listen! He doesn't acknowledge that I don't want a queen! I just want to experience real love, whether it's physical or emotional; I have to start somewhere. Being in the position of authority that I am makes this so much harder. It is nearly impossible to hide anything without letting it eat away at me from the inside._

The physically strong and powerful man got up from where he was sitting, trying to pull himself together.

_This is really no way to deal with something! I am better than this, but it just hurts and I feel trapped. I can't even use magic to my advantage here. This is just a matter that is._

He crept over to the door, pressed his ear against the wood, and listened to make sure no one was around. Taking in a deep breath, Sinbad let out a long sigh.

_Taking care of this never permanently fixes anything, but it does make me feel a lot better. _

Sinbad quietly tiptoed down the hall of the palace to his bedroom and shut the door tightly behind him. He took off his silk robe, his jewelry, his shoes, and then his pants, and dropped them on top of one of his dressers.

_Finally, a minute to myself._

He pulled out a shirtless drawing of Ja'far that he'd secretly created from a compartment hidden behind the dresser. Sinbad was not an artist, and had little talent nor interest in drawing, but from his memory, and watching Ja'far very closely, he was able to depict the fair man accurately on paper in nothing more than a few shreds of cloth that happened to be covering his manhood. For the sole purpose of relieving some of his urges and temptations, Sinbad worshiped that piece of paper. It was the closest he could get to Ja'far without physically touching him or telling him how he really felt.

The man grinned, as he held the piece of paper in front of his face. He pulled his underwear off with his free hand, and got down on his floor, pushing the carpet aside. Just as Sinbad's rather huge cock had stiffened, and was starting to work at it, he heard a knock at his door.

_What do I do? I can't just... Shit!_

The man called to the door: "Just a minute!"

He quickly threw on his robe and pants, trying to ram his fully erect penis between his legs so it wouldn't be noticeable to whoever was at his door. Sinbad opened the door as calmly as he could.

"Hello, Idiot King."

"J-Judal?" Sinbad said, in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I was spying on you," he answered.

"What? Why? Does that mean you know what I was...uh...doing?" Sinbad blushed, squinting his eyes shut from embarrassment.

"Of course, you idiot!" Judal exclaimed, smiling maniacally.

"The last time I saw you, you told me you were going to kill me. So why did you come here, especially if you knew what I was doing?"

"I came because I wanted to humiliate you! You really are an idiot, Sinbad, but I like you," Judal said, giggling evilly. The dark magi stepped into Sinbad's bedroom, pushing him aside. He looked back at the king of the seven seas with a very different expression. "Come on, I came here to help you finish what you started! If you decline my offer, I may have to kill you sooner rather than later," the slightly smaller male said.

"Judal, you can't possibly be saying what it sounds like you're saying," Sinbad suggested, turning to face him with a puzzled look.

"Close the door and you'll find out exactly what I'm saying," Judal instructed. "I see you've got a little crush on Mister Ja'far, eh?" He added, noticing Sinbad's drawing where he'd turned it over and left it in a quick attempt to hide it.

"Judal, why are you doing this to me? Just tell me why you're here already and get on with it!" Sinbad demanded.

"Idiot...I am here, because I want you." The smaller man said, looking into Sinbad's golden eyes.

"R-really?" The king of the seven seas asked, blushing. "Are you really serious? This doesn't seem like you. I mean, usually you come here threatening to kill me."

"Do not get me wrong, I will kill you if you say no," Judal stated firmly. "You've never even had sex with another man, have you?"

Sinbad's cheeks grew redder as he shook his head.

"Thought so," the dark-haired magi said, grinning. "You're going to love this. I guarantee I'll be better than Ja'far could ever dream to be."

"Fine, I agree. I suppose I'm in no position to say no, anyway..." Sinbad said, as he looked away, with an incredibly painful look on his face.

"Sin...? Hey, what's the matter with you?" Judal questioned, noticing that Sinbad had started crying like a little kid. "Look, I'm sorry I'm always so nasty, but just this once, I'll be nice. I promise."

"Judal, I love Ja'far. I'm also scared. I just...I know he doesn't feel the same way towards me."

"Dude, it will be alright. I've never seen you like this, you're acting like a little baby!" Judal replied. "I'm sorry you've had to go through this though. I know it isn't an easy situation. I don't want you to be so upset. I like you, Sinbad! I really do; I just never knew how to tell you without threatening your life in some way," he confessed.

Judal closed the door and sat down next to Sinbad on his bed. The man was holding his head up with his arms. "Hey, Sin. If you don't want to do it I won't force you to. I actually feel really bad now. Are you... okay?"

A pair of light red eyes looked up at him with real concern. "Judal? I said I would. I kind of want to try it, to be honest. I know I've wanted to for so long," the larger man said, sheepishly, but confidently.

The dark-haired male lifted one of his pallid hands up to Sinbad's face and touched a finger to the man's lips. Just after, he replaced it with a soft kiss. Sin gently melted into the younger man's kiss and wrapped his strong arms around him. As upset as he was, the feeling of Judal's face up against his was starting to get the best of him. Sinbad could feel his penis starting to harden again, and much more quickly this time.

_How on Earth...?_

Judal pinned the larger man to the bed and laid on top of him, deepening their kiss. "Seems like you're certainly getting into this," the dark-haired boy said, as he explored Sinbad's mouth.

As they continued to devour each other, the boy started grinding his hips into Sinbad's groin. His smaller manhood was clothed and hard against Sinbad's as they moaned into each other's mouths. "Judal... I think I'm ready now, this feels amazing," Sinbad said, grinning blissfully.

"I'm glad; now let's get those clothes off you once and for all!" The magi said. He pulled Sinbad's top off, revealing his sculpted chest and abdomen. The boy's eyes lit up like fire as he ran his hands over the man's muscles. "I've wanted to touch this body so badly!" He said, nuzzling his face into the king's bare chest. It was warm and tanned just like the rest of his masculine body.

Judal licked one of Sinbad's nipples and then pinched the other tenderly, receiving a pleasureful shudder from the larger man. He pulled off Sin's pants and underwear next, freeing his hard cock once more. It was long, thick, and starting to release a glistening little trail of pre-cum from the tip.

"Judal, please! I just want to get it over with. I need you, please!" The man begged, while Judal wrapped his hand around his member; teasing it with his creme colored fingers.

"Impatient, much?" The dark magi asked. He threw his top off and pulled off his pants and underwear as well. The boy's body was so tight and defined. His skin was almost a ghostly white, but it was different, and Sinbad found that very attractive. His penis was a lot smaller than Sin's, but it was just as hard.

"You're going to have to turn over for this," Judal said.

Once he was situated, Judal borrowed some of Sin's lube and stuck one of his fingers into the man's entrance. Sinbad winced slightly, but since his pain tolerance was high, the intrusion didn't bother him very much. After all, he'd conquered the seven seas with his just his crew and bare hands. However, by the time Judal had three fingers in him, the heroic man was sure he'd never felt something as foreign and uncomfortable ever before.

"Can't you just-" Sinbad started to say, but was interrupted by the feeling of the smaller boy's erection push into him from behind.

Judal writhed in the hot sensation of being encased in Sinbad's tight, muscular body. Black Rukh started to swirl around the boy's light frame as he pushed deeper into the larger male.

Every time he went into heat, for some reason, black Rukh filled the air around him and concentrated his dark magic.

"Just go already!" Sinbad pleaded. He didn't notice the black Rukh at first.

"You asked for it," Judal responded, as he kissed the back of the man's neck, and thrust his dick into him at the same time.

Sinbad was pressed down against the bed, but he started seeing flashes of ebony in front of his eyes while the smaller male pounded into him.

"What is going on, Judal?" The king panted.

"Whenever I have sex, my black Rukh concentrates." The magi said. He finally hit Sinbad's prostate with a great deal of force, receiving a noise he'd never thought Sinbad was capable of making. The groan he made in that deep voice made the boy aim harder and speed up a little bit.

Judal reached around the larger man under him and grabbed his neglected penis, hoping to make him moan again. Indeed he did, but something else happened as well. As the dark-haired boy pumped Sinbad's massive length, a few traces of light Rukh began to fill the air around them. They both noticed, but didn't pay any attention; as they were both in such an elevated state of pleasure.

"Judal, I'm not going to last much...ah... longer..." Sin said, in between breaths. Judal had his fingers tightly wrapped around his cock, thrusting it into his hand as best he could.

"I'm close too, Sin..." Judal said, grunting. He felt a hot tension building from within him. It was not only hot, but the sensation was starting to feel fluffy and ticklish.

More and more light Rukh buzzed around the two men as they continued. Sinbad didn't seem to feel anything unusual going on inside him, but Judal knew something was amiss. However, it didn't seem to be a bad feeling.

Sinbad panted, starting to squirm and vigorously grip the sheets of his bed before the pressure building in his groin released.

"Judal!" The heavily built king screamed, as he released a thick stream of semen into the boy's hand.

Judal felt Sinbad's muscles contract, tightening the walls around his ready penis. "Sin!" The boy grunted, slamming his dick all the way into the man's body once more. He felt himself about to blow, finally reaching his climax. As he spilled his warm seed into the man's insides, a white light enveloped his entire body. Judal's semen shot into the larger man in several quick spurts; each time more light Rukh surrounding him until it had completely eliminated all the black Rukh.

Judal pulled out of Sinbad slowly, in excellent bliss. The king turned around, slightly sore, and couldn't believe what he saw. The boy looked completely changed. The once dark magi now had twinkling violet colored eyes and lighter hair. He had life in his previously pallid skin and warmth in all of his features.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Sinbad?" Judal asked, tilting his head curiously.

"You look amazing..."

Judal turned around, looking into the full length mirror across the room and couldn't believe he was actually looking at himself. "I-I've lost my powers?" The magi said in disbelief.

"I don't think you've lost them. They've become part of the light cycle of Rukh, Judal," Sinbad said, smiling.

The magi looked into Sinbad's eyes with a puzzled look, until he realized what must have happened. "Did you do this? Or was it...?"

"Well, I don't think I physically had anything to do with this change, but it does show that your feelings for me were strong enough to bring the light back into your soul," the larger man said.

"Sinbad... I'm sorry for being so hateful towards you. You're not an idiot. I'm the one who should have just dealt with what I felt in a different way instead of always starting arguments. And yet, you still love Ja'far, don't you?" The boy asked. Judal looked as though he was about to cry.

"I do love Ja'far, but I know he doesn't feel the same for me. I've just got to accept that, and once I do, I'll probably feel a lot better. In the meantime, I...uh...would love to spend more time with you, Judal, if you'd like," Sinbad suggested.

"You really mean that?" Judal responded, grabbing the larger male's hands in excitement.

"Yes!" Sinbad replied, smiling.

Before long, Judal curled up next to Sinbad and fell asleep.

A few hours later, Ja'far entered the room, looking for Sinbad. He noticed the other boy lying alongside the king, and smiled to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello readers! Hylianshadow86 and KikkyChan have convinced me to turn this into a longer story, so here is how it unfolds. I hope you both enjoy this!**

During Sinbad's next private talk with Ja'far, the two men suddenly got very tense.

"Are you sure you don't want a bride, Sin? I think it'd be a smart move if you have hopes for a future royal generation to exist in this country," said Ja'far, in a voice that had just the slightest undertone of sarcasm.

"I've told you so many times Ja'far! I don't want to get married!" Sinbad yelled, slamming his fist on the table with frustration.

"I know it may not be my place to ask, but... why don't you want to get married?" Asked Ja'far, in the very same condescending tone of voice he'd used before.

"What are you trying to say, Ja'far? You're acting like you're hiding some sort of suspicion you've got of me."

"Answer my question, and maybe I won't have to suspect anything of you at all," the fair-haired man said, shrugging his shoulders, antagonistically.

"Fine. I've got no other choice, now that you've cornered me. Pretending I didn't have something to hide would only be foolish at this point," Sinbad said, crossing his arms. "I do not wish to marry because that would mean I'd have to get involved with a woman. I've discovered that women are not my type, Ja'far."

"So, would you give me a different answer if marriage between two men was acceptable in this country?" Ja'far proceeded, not acting very surprised.

Sinbad looked distressed before he attempted to answer. "I'm not sure. How am I supposed to decide? Yes, I'm interested in men... But I still don't know!"

"That's all I needed to know, Sin. I didn't mean to make you upset; I wanted you to realize that you can trust me if you ever need to talk. I promise," Ja'far bowed. "I think you're doing a fine job ruling Sindria. I just wanted to know whether or not you were honest enough with yourself to reveal the truth to me."

"Wait... How were you so sure of my sexuality before I told you?" Sinbad asked, curiously.

"Well... I wanted to see that you were well and asleep the other night, so I walked into your room, and-"

"Okay that's enough! That's all I needed to hear," Sinbad said, interrupting his closest general.

"There is one more question I've got for you. Will you hear it, Sin?"

The broad man nodded. "Sure."

"Who was the man you were sleeping with? I can't say I've ever seen him before, although he did look vaguely familiar."

Sinbad didn't know what to tell Ja'far. If he found out that his lover was his sworn enemy, Judal, their trust would most likely break immediately. "D-do I have to tell you his name?" Sinbad said, trying to mask his discomfort with embarrassment, instead of the fact that he was still withholding the full truth.

"Alright, I'll respect your privacy. I'd really like to meet him sometime, Sin! When you are ready to introduce him to me, will you have him over for a banquet?"

"S-sure. Of course I will," Sinbad said, nervously. In truth, he didn't know what else to say.

_I'm going to have to think of a solution to this fast. The next banquet is at the end of the month! Ja'far is going to think I'm betraying Sindria for eloping with the Kou Empire's high priest!_

The next day, Sinbad met Judal down by the beach, so the two of them could have uninterrupted privacy. Upon seeing the king, Judal began to run towards him until they both collided in a forceful embrace filled with kissing and hugging.

"Hello Sin," said Judal, blushing lightly.

"It's wonderful to see you!" Sinbad replied. "I have some pressing news to share with you. It might kill the mood, but I must inform you of what's happening."

"What is it, Sin?" The smaller male asked.

"Well, I was talking to Ja'far yesterday, and he somehow found out we were sleeping together. We must not have locked the door."

Judal's face grew into an expression of sheer panic. "What?"

"However, since your appearance has changed, he didn't recognize you. I don't know what to do now! Ja'far is actually happy for me and wants to meet you."

"Really? Well, in one respect, that's great! But, if he finds out who I am, that may be a problem," said Judal. "I am the high priest of the Kou Empire, after all," the younger man added.

"Have you even been back to your country since you've changed?" Sinbad asked.

"No, I haven't. I don't know what I'm going to do about that either, as a matter of fact! The Kou Empire is doing nothing but focusing all its power on expanding. My mission is to take Sindria, but I honestly don't want to do that, Sin. I don't want to because I like you. I don't know what to do."

"This is more serious than I thought. Not to change the subject, but I also agreed to let Ja'far meet you at Sindria's next palace banquet. It's on the last day of the month."

"Well, I could use an alias if you think that might work. He obviously won't trust me, given the fact that he knows my history. I mean, I don't have anyone to blame for that except myself. All I ever did was threaten the safety of Sindria. I'm sorry for that, by the way," Judal said, taking Sinbad's hand.

The king nodded, accepting the smaller man's apology. "I'm afraid a disguise and a false identity are all we have to work with, Judal. This plan will have to suffice. As for your duty to your empire, I don't know what to tell you. You are welcome to take refuge here with me for as long as you'd like; but eventually your people will realize you're gone, and they'll search for you."

"Alright. I'll stay here until I can figure out what to do about my responsibilities, but we're going to have to be very careful not to expose my identity. I no longer want to work for the Kou Empire, but I'm bound to them by contract until death."

"It's going to be okay, Judal. As long as we stick together on this, I'm sure we can get through it and find a way in which you can live in peace," Sinbad said, taking Judal by the shoulders.

Both males shared a long embrace, and then sat down on the sand next to each other. They watched the waves break against the rocks in the distance.

"Would you like me to bring you something to eat? It's getting late," the larger man noticed, as he heard Judal's stomach starting to growl.

"You don't have to do that. I'll be fine, Sin."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be right back. The marketplace isn't far from here," Sinbad said, as he got up. "Actually, you could come with me if you'd like. No one is going to recognize you, especially like this. It's mainly my eight generals we have to watch out for."

"Okay," the boy agreed, as Sinbad helped him up.

They walked into the evening marketplace together and sat down at a bar to get something to eat. The shopkeeper noticed the king immediately, and offered to serve him anything he wanted for dinner. Sinbad and Judal ate fairly quickly in fear that they were beginning to draw attention to themselves.

"Thank you very much, sir, but I can't take your food without paying for it," the king said, as he handed the bartender a handsome tip.

"Much appreciated, your highness. Thank you for stopping by!" The man said. _Who was that young man he was with? I wonder..._

When Sinbad got back to the palace, it was late. He and Judal previously ended up at an inn, and had taken advantage of their privacy once more before parting.

Ja'far was waiting just outside the king's chamber when he rounded the corner. "What took you so long?" Ja'far asked. "You said you were just going out for a little while."

"I ended up trying out one of the restaurants in town. What's the big deal?" Sinbad asked, trying to act innocent.

"You were with that young man again, weren't you?" Ja'far suggested, leaning closer to the king to whisper it in his ear.

"Shut up! Okay? Just because you know about this doesn't mean you can interfere with my business!" Sinbad declared.

"Oh really? I'm only your dedicated assistant that also happens to be one of your eight generals. It isn't any of my business?"

"Just what exactly do you want to know, Ja'far?" Sinbad said, giving in.

"I just don't want you to feel the need to hide anything from me. I want to help you, Sin. I want to make sure I can trust this man with my king."


	3. Chapter 3

When it came time for the banquet, Judal and Sinbad had developed their plan as far as they possibly could. Judal showed up at the palace gates among all the crowd of other guests. Everyone in Sindria was invited to attend the royal banquets, but the palace could only hold a certain number of people.

Judal passed through the gates dressed in a formal set of robes, instead of his more revealing black choli. Among the masses of townsfolk gathering throughout the vast courtyard, the young man didn't stand out.

_Where is Sin?_

The boy made his way into the grand dining room where a sprawling buffet was set out. He continued to push through, until finally he found Sinbad. The man was sitting with his eight generals at a large table, and he had an extra seat saved for his special guest.

"Everyone, this is Hikki-san," said the king, introducing Judal to his generals under an alias. I've decided a scribe would be very beneficial to have on our team, especially during important meetings."

"It's an honor to meet you all," the new member said, as he bowed to the eight powerful generals.

All of them looked at Judal, trying to get a good read of his features. Ja'far gave him the most intimidating glare he'd ever seen, but the rest of the generals casually resumed their meals after each saying a few words to their newest ally.

After dinner, Ja'far showed Hikki-san around the palace so he got an idea of the place in which he'd be working.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get the job?" Asked Ja'far.

"Well, um..." Hikki-san mumbled at first. The boy didn't know what to say, so he had to think fast. "I was looking for a job, and only stopped in this country to take a break from my journey; however, I obviously found what I was looking for."

"That's great. You look young to be a scribe. I'm sure you're well-educated, so that shouldn't be a concern; I'm just curious. How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen, and just finished my schooling a few months ago."

"Hikki-san, what do you think of Sinbad?" Ja'far continued to question the boy. "Excuse me for asking all of these questions of you upon your arrival," he added.

"I understand. I like Sinbad very much. I think he's an amazing man," Hikki-san answered, blushing lightly. "I'm truly honored to be working for the king of Sindria."

"That's wonderful," Ja'far said. His face grew serious before he opened his mouth again. "You must work hard, and live up to your new position. Otherwise, you aren't going to make it here. I'm not trying to scare you; I'm just giving you a fair warning. This is not a place that tolerates slackers."

"I understand," the younger boy said, swallowing nervously."

"Good," the light-haired man said. "Hey, now that I look at you, you look vaguely familiar. You look a little bit like Judal, our king's sworn enemy," Ja'far added, jokingly.

"Oh wow, that's funny, isn't it?" Hikki-san replied, trying not to sound painfully uncomfortable.

Later on, after he'd been set up with his own room, Hikki-san closed the door and became Judal again. He couldn't get used to being called a different name. The boy took off his long robes, and put on a pair of shorts to wear to bed. Just as he was about to close his eyes, Sinbad burst into the room.

The man ran over to his bed and picked the boy up as fast as he could. "Judal! They've come looking for you! We have to get you out of here as fast as we can."

"Who's come? What's going on?" The boy asked, a bit disoriented.

"A fleet of ships from the Kou Empire. One disembarked only minutes ago. Soldiers are going to rip the country apart looking for you if they have reason to believe you're here," Sinbad said, as he carried Judal out of the room.

The king had no idea what to do. He knew he couldn't abandon his country, but he didn't want Judal to be taken away from him. He decided to take the boy somewhere he'd be safe for at least a little while, and then return the next morning.

As Sinbad reached the end of the hall, about to sneak out the window with Judal, a booming voice shot out through the dark from the opposite direction. "Where are you going?" The voice sounded intimidating, but also scared. It was Ja'far.

The king stopped in his tracks, because he knew he was caught. Within a few seconds, Ja'far appeared from the shadows of a nearby corridor. He looked at Sinbad with confusion. "You're going to have to trust me when I tell you what's happening," Sinbad said.

"You've obviously been hiding something additional; something I didn't even pick up on, your highness," the king's assistant said, as he looked at him coldly. "If you can't trust me, then why should I trust you?"

After that, Ja'far turned around, vanishing from sight.

"Ja'far, come back here! You don't understand!" Sinbad pleaded.

There was no reply.

"Sin, I feel that this is all my fault. If you didn't have to tiptoe around the truth of my identity and our relationship, Ja'far wouldn't be mad at you. The Kou Empire wouldn't be searching for me and ruining your country if I hadn't ran away. This is really messed up! I'm sorry."

"It isn't completely your fault, Judal. I want to protect you, but I also want to protect my people. I should have just been more honest with Ja'far from the start."

"That's true. What are we going to do now?" Judal asked.

"If we stay here, they're going to find you eventually. Sindria really isn't that big, and the palace is probably where Kou's men are heading right now. We still have to flee."

Sinbad kissed the boy in his arms, reassuringly. They climbed down the side of the castle and escaped the surrounding walls from the top of a tall tree. Once they were on the other side, there was a high ridge of rocks, and then the ocean. Sinbad tore off his flowing royal garments, grabbed the smaller male and slung him over his back, as he prepared to scale the jagged rocks.

The larger man set the boy down when they reached the other side. He was slightly winded, and scraped up from the climbing.

"I can make us a boat out of ice, Sin. It won't last long when night turns to day, but it should last us until sunrise."

Judal pulled out his wand and started forming the water in front of him into a boat-shaped block of ice. Within seconds it had grown into a small boat. The magician broke two thin sheets of ice off the edges of his creation to use as oars.

"Wow! That takes talent," Sinbad said, stepping into the boat. "It's cold," he added, after sitting down.

"It is cold," Judal agreed, as he and Sin pushed the boat into the water with their makeshift oars.

The two men continued rowing through the night for hours until finally they hit land. When they disembarked, fog started to roll in. Sinbad and Judal were on the beach, but couldn't see nearly five feet in front of them.

"Where are we?" Judal asked.

"We're on the Khaalag Coast. I've only been here once, and it doesn't appear to be inhabited. Once we go further inland, there is civilization," Sinbad informed.

Before either of them moved another inch, a red haze was beginning to surround them. It looked like a light, and that's what it turned out to be. Another person was approaching with a bright red lantern.

Judal and Sinbad stood their ground firmly, waiting for the figure to draw near. As he loomed forward in the thick haze, the hulking figure cried out incoherently. As he stepped into view, it was clear that the man was much smaller than his lantern made him appear. In fact, it was just a boy holding a tall cane.

"Who are you?" Asked the little boy.

The child looked just like Ja'far, but much smaller. "I've got the same question for you, kid," Sinbad stated.

"I'm Ja'far."


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, chapter four! I don't know how I got it done that fast. I'm usually such a slug with updates... But this is becoming a way of releasing my tension. My heart is definitely in this story now. I know it was a question before, because usually I'm not an action/adventure story writer, but I've officially dove in! Thanks to Hylianshadow86 and KikkyChan, my confidence gets a boost each update. Thank you both so much!**

"Ja'far? How could you be Ja'far? You're just a kid!" Sinbad asked, perplexed.

The child stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Sinbad. Suddenly, the air around them got cooler. "If a human being has strong enough feelings for someone or something, he or she is capable of following that object or person; regardless of how far away the two are."

Sinbad stepped back, as he started to feel sharp chills run down his spine. "W-what are you talking about? That can't be possible!"

Ja'far's smaller twin stepped closer to the king again; his eyes narrowing. "Ja'far cared very deeply for you, Sinbad. When you hurt him, his feelings of betrayal were stronger than you imagined." The boy's voice was sharp and eerie. "That's why I exist. Ja'far's anger and pain were too much for one soul to carry. Unless you can achieve his true forgiveness, I will eventually absorb all of Ja'far's soul, and he will be nothing but a lifeless shell. Act quickly." The boy backed away slowly, then vanishing into the fog.

Sinbad's eyes were wide open in terror. "Did that just happen? What on Earth was that boy?" The man shuddered in fear.

"Out of all the years I spent as Kou's oracle, I've never encountered something like this before. I knew someone's love or hate could form another body, but I didn't think that body could actually steal life from the original person," Judal said, as he put his arm around the taller man. "Let's get out of this fog, and then decide what to do."

The two men plodded through the thick early morning fog until day finally broke. The Khaalag Coast was primarily uninhabited by people, but it was full of gremlins and poisonous snakes. The ground was rocky and littered with scrubby plant growth.

"Watch your step," Sinbad said, putting his hand in front of Judal. "You were about to set foot right into a ditch; you never know what could be down there."

"Thanks, Sin."

After walking in tense silence for close to three hours, they were getting closer to Demacia; the only village that was still inhabited in the desolate area. It was once a rich town that traded snakeskin and precious metals along the border of the Khaalag territory. Over the past few centuries, it had been compromised to a small village from a series of devastating gremlin raids.

As Sin and Judal entered the village, there were a lot of decaying buildings. Each one looked as though it could tell a sorry tale; the way the roves and walls slouched, it looked like the houses were destined to frown until they collapsed. It was clearly a huge city at one point in time. As they reached the center of the town, there was noise coming from a crowded street fair of some sort. Apparently there was still something happening in the once prosperous city.

It was actually a touring circus. "Look at that! It's a lion tamer!" Said Judal, pointing over the crowd of townsfolk; breaking the silence between the two.

"This is strange, Judal. I don't know why a circus would ever visit Demacia. The days when this place would have drawn thousands of people from miles around to gather for a spectacle are decades behind us."

"Well, let's investigate. There's no harm in seeing a little circus," said the boy.

"We can go see the circus for a few hours, but afterwards we have to figure out what we're going to do next. We need to find a way for you to be free from your previous occupation, and I also need to return to Sindria before the Kou Empire takes over."

Judal nodded, and the two males pushed through the crowd to see what was going on. The lion tamer's act had concluded, and the ring master was preparing for the next display.

"Up next is our incredible hypnotist! He's going to be asking for volunteers, so don't be shy!" The ringmaster cheered, introducing the cloaked figure.

Sinbad and Judal both nearly fell to their knees in terror at the sight of who was standing up on stage. It was the same copy of Ja'far they'd seen earlier that day. The only difference this time, was that he'd gotten slightly taller and his face was more developed.

_What's happening? I wish this was all a bad dream, but then I wouldn't have Judal in my life... I don't know what to think of all this!_

"You there!" Ja'far called, pointing at Sinbad and Judal. "How would you both like to be my first contestants?" He asked, with a crazed grin.

The crowd began to cheer for them to get on stage. They had nowhere to run, as the audience pushed the two men up onto the stage. Sinbad trembled, along with Judal, while Ja'far stared at them, hungrily.

"This is going to be a fantastic display," The evil hypnotist said, as he positioned Sinbad and Judal in front of him.

The last event they could each recall that day was being on stage, slowly being put to sleep.

Hours later, unaware of the time, Sinbad woke up inside a dark room aboard a ship. _Where am I? Where's Judal?_

"Sin? Is that you?" A voice called from the other side of the room. It sounded like Judal.

Sinbad made his way to the opposite side of the room, feeling his way along the wall. When he reached the vicinity from which the the voice came, someone lit a candle just inches from his face.

"Hello Sinbad," said the faux Ja'far, illuminated by candlelight. He had Judal by the neck.

"What are you doing? Put him down!" The king demanded.

"If I blow out this candle, you won't even be able to see me, or what I'm doing to your little boy toy. I wouldn't move a muscle. Just a bit of advice."

"What are you going to do to him? Where the hell are we even going?" Sinbad demanded to know.

"As long as you cooperate, I won't do anything to Mister Judal. Understood?"

"You're sick! Ja'far would never do any of this!"

"Sin... don't..." Judal managed to say. He looked like he'd been beaten severely, and was taking shallow breaths.

"We're almost to Sindria. We'll arrive tomorrow morning. Then, you can show your country what you've done to me, your other generals, your citizens, and yourself. You've made more than just a fool out of everyone, Sinbad. The Kou Empire will have you hung for kidnapping their highest priest too!" Ja'far said, laughing. "By then, I'll have completely absorbed all of Ja'far's life, and I'll join forces with the Kou Empire to take over the entire map."

He dropped Judal onto the floor, blew out his candle, and left.

"Judal, what happened to you?" Sinbad asked, gently lifting the badly injured boy.

"I-I tried to protect you, but Ja'far got the upper hand... I-I'm sorry," Judal said, coughing. He was bleeding from almost every limb, his face was swollen and bruised, and his temperature was boiling hot. "The rukh... they can't find me on this ship... for some reason."

"That's very odd. There must be a seal surrounding it. Please hang in there, Judal. I'm so sorry this is happening. I don't know what to do!" Sinbad said, stroking the boy's hair.

"It's not your fault, Sin. It's just what's happening. There is nothing we could have done to stop this disaster... I love you, Sinbad," Judal confessed, before slowly going limp into slumber.

The king froze, holding the boy in the dark, dank cabin of the old ship. "I... I love you too, Judal!" Sinbad cried.

_Why did this have to turn into such a mess? Just when I thought it couldn't have gotten any worse._


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm feeling weird! Not in a good way! That is probably not good, but here is chapter five! Hopefully this is better than the last chapters. In my opinion, this is great, so don't give me hate! It should certainly explain a lot.**

The huge wooden ship approached Sindria's main pier the next morning, with no one aboard except Judal and Sinbad. The king was drugged to sleep in the captain's quarters, and Judal was tied up in a dark room a few levels below deck. Ja'far's evil copy fled in a small boat under the early morning's fog cover, along with the remainder of the crew; not even concerned about leaving the ship unattended.

Yamuraiha, one of Sinbad's generals; a master of water magic, and the original Ja'far were standing on the pier. Ja'far was visibly weakening, however, he didn't think his lack of strength was caused by anything more than the hurtful act of betrayal he'd recently experienced. Yamuraiha had to hold Ja'far up; his balance had quickly deteriorated. The man's fair skin had reached a corpse grey in a mere twenty-four hours. He wasn't aware that his anger had formed an evil copy of himself and was now leaving a path of destruction in his wake.

The large wooden vessel attracted a lot of attention as it coasted adrift into the docks; especially since Sinbad had been missing since the previous day. In that one day, the Kou Empire's men had ripped Sindria apart from end to end. No one was killed in the process, but the soldiers searched every corner of the country for their oracle. Many buildings, streets, markets, and bridges were either destroyed or severely damaged. After discovering that Judal wasn't in Sindria, the men left, leaving their costly mess behind them.

After he'd last seen Sinbad, Ja'far wandered down the empty upstairs hall to the king's room. There, he found Sinbad's drawing. Discovering the drawing made Ja'far realize he'd been blind to the king's true feelings for so many years. At that moment, he knew he needed to make a choice. He was jealous that Sinbad had chosen another man over himself, but he also knew that he was at fault. Ja'far had never let the man onto how he felt either. He secretly loved Sinbad, but never had the confidence to tell him. Unfortunately, it was too late to successfully confess his love. He saw no other option but to turn against his once beloved king.

While in Sinbad's room that night, Ja'far also discovered a familiar set of black clothing: Judal's uniform. Connecting the fact that Sinbad ran off with another man to the fact that that man was actually Judal; Sindria's sworn enemy, filled him with overflowing anger. He didn't understand what was actually happening, so he mistook what he witnessed from Sinbad as pure betrayal. In doing that, he was destined to spur a rapid death upon himself that he didn't see coming. He sat in the king's chamber feeling his heart start to contract abnormally, his breathing stiffen, and his body start to dissolve from the inside out. It was a painful curse brought on by the weight of his destructive reaction to the misunderstanding.

After Kou's men left, Ja'far informed the other seven generals of what happened to Sinbad. He didn't see any reason why not to believe that his king had turned on the country. He chose having an affair with Judal, the Kou Empire's high priest, over his duty to his country. Collectively, the eight generals came up with the theory that Sinbad was behind the reason why Sindria was more or less attacked by Kou's men. He was clearly getting along with Judal, so it was safe to assume he'd changed for the worse.

Sinbad woke up, rubbing his eyes tiredly in a big bedroom aboard the ship. _Where am I now? If I'm still on the ship, where is Judal? _The king got up and stepped outside the cabin onto the deck of the ship. Still disoriented, himself; he saw a mass of confused, angry people which stood gathered taking up the entire pier; his eight generals right in front.

A long silence fell over the crowd as they looked at Sinbad in disgrace. The eight generals boarded the ship and captured their king. They led him through the entire city to force him to look at what happened while he was gone. It made him feel guilty for leaving, and there was no question about that.

Later, after being placed in the palace dungeon, Ja'far paid Sinbad a final visit. His body was growing weaker by the minute, and he barely made it down all the stairs. He unlocked the cell door, and stepped inside. Sinbad was petrified, and didn't know what Ja'far was going to do to him. The king closed his eyes as his ex-assistant approached him slowly. Sinbad hadn't realized that Ja'far had so quickly approached death's door.

Just before he reached the king, Ja'far collapsed; hitting the cold, hard floor. Shocked, Sinbad immediately bent down to pick the other man up. He remembered what the evil Ja'far had said: "Act quickly," but he couldn't have acted any quicker. He and Judal were kidnapped before they could even make their first solid decision.

"Ja'far! Are you alright?" He asked, noticing that his eyes had closed, his head was bleeding from the fall, and his body was very cold. "Please open your eyes, Ja'far!" He demanded.

After minutes of holding him, trying to warm him up, Ja'far's eyes opened slightly. "Sin... Why did you do this to me? More importantly, to the entire country?" He managed to say, struggling.

"Ja'far, I promise my resoning will make sense to you, but there's something you must know first; about your condition."

"What?" The other asked, weakly.

"Your hatred, anger, and confusion have somehow combined to form an entity; and that's what's draining the life from you at such a dangerously fast pace. He looks exactly like you, but in child form. Every time your negative feelings grow srtronger, he gets stronger; sucking the life right out of you. You have to trust me on this Ja'far."

Ja'far's eyes shut again, but Sinbad knew he was listening. "I can't trust you, Sinbad. You know that. You've broken my trust once and for all."

"Ja'far! Look at yourself! You're going to die! What reason do I have to lie to you?"

Forcing himself with determination fed by hate, Ja'far sat up to look the king in the eyes. "I may be dying, but I'm going to die knowing the truth. It's unfortunate, but at least I know one thing: you are a terrible friend, and I should never have joined you."

"That isn't the truth, Ja'far!" Sinbad shouted, but Ja'far's body had already started going limp.

Moments later, Yamuraiha entered the dungeon with Judal. He didn't look well either, but he was still alive. "Ja'far! Look who I've caught!" Yamuraiha exclaimed.

"Ja'far is dead." Sinbad stated, as he watched Yamuraiha let go of Judal in disbelief and race towards him.

"What? How? What did you do to him, Sinbad?" The woman cried, clutching Ja'far's lifeless body.

Just then, faux Ja'far appeared, descending slowly down the staircase. He looked sickly pleased.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm going to thank Hylianshadow86 and KikkyChan again for the much needed, and much appreciated support. Thank you! I could keep on writing and writing with this story, (which I'm going to) so I had to stop myself once I came to a good place to pause in order to close the chapter! **

Yamuraiha turned her head towards the other Ja'far; violently shaken by what was going on. "Why do you look exactly like Ja'far?" The general asked, confused.

"There is no longer another Ja'far. There is only one, and that is I," the evil copy stated, as he stepped towards Yamuraiha and Sinbad.

"Don't come any closer!" Sinbad said. "Why are you here?" He asked, with accusation in his voice.

"I'm here because I have yet to collect the final piece to unlocking my true power."

"What would that be?" Sinbad asked.

"Ja'far's heart. Hand him over," Ja'far's evil twin demanded.

"You're obviously not going to use your power for anything good, so why should I let you have Ja'far's heart?"

Yamuraiha didn't know what was going on between the two, but she could tell that Sinbad did. From what Ja'far had previously told her, Sinbad had changed sides, but he was currently protecting his assistant; even though the man was already dead. It didn't make sense to her. Although Judal was injured, she didn't see him doing anything to stop Sinbad from protecting Ja'far either. She was an experienced enough magician to know that Judal wasn't helpless, even in his current debilitated state. _Why isn't he doing anything? Isn't he against us?_

"You're either going to hand him over to me, or I'm going to do whatever I have to to obtain his body. If I have to kill you in the process, by all means I will; I'm not opposed to doing that," Ja'far's copy threatened.

"You're not going to kill anyone here. You're the one who needs to die!" Yamuraiha interjected. "I've seen enough to get a sense of what's happened. Because of your stupid curse, Ja'far is dead! Sinbad never meant to hurt anyone. What he did turned into a mess, but there was really no way to avoid it. The Kou Empire would have still invaded, even if Sinbad was here, and Ja'far would have still been angry at him; but he wouldn't have died because of it. The only one who is truly guilty here is you!" The enchantress declared, pointing to Ja'far's twin.

Sinbad and Judal were shocked at Yamuraiha's sudden change of sides. The reason she did was because she had mastered the ability of determining whether or not someone was being truthful from their biological path. "Can you still fight, Judal? We may be able to defeat him if you join us," the woman asked, receiving a confident nod from the boy. Yamuraiha quickly executed a loud whistle that could be heard all throughout the palace.

Within seconds, the remaining six generals arrived at the scene. They instinctively surrounded the faux Ja'far, as Yamuraiha spoke. "There's been a grave misunderstanding. Ja'far is dead. However, Sinbad never turned on us. Judal is on our side as well. I know this is sudden, but we must protect each other. Annhilate this man immediately!"

Each of them drew a weapon, Sinbad equipped his Djinn, and Judal focused Light Rukh into his wand; something he'd never been able to do before. Ja'far's double looked intimidated at first, but then turned on a wicked grin; as his eyes focused on the discarded dead body behind Sinbad.

"You're not going to get what you came here for, 'Ja'far'," Sinbad said.

Just as he'd finished his sentence, the evil clone's eyes turned black, and his body began increasing in size and muscle mass. "Did you think I'd need the last of Ja'far's power to defeat you? I've got all the strength I need to defeat the likes of you and your pathetic generals. You see, I'm also being fed strength by Al-Thamen. In fact, this curse wouldn't exist if Al-Thamen hadn't discovered how to use it on humans," The dark man laughed.

Black Rukh began to circle around Ja'far's twin; now an oversized, demonic creature. Sinbad's attacks were useless on him, as were those of his seven generals. Their only hope was left in the hands of Judal. He'd yet to even attempt wielding Light Rukh, but now he had to give it all he had; if he truly wanted to overcome the evil that had once consumed him.

As Sinbad and the generals held the creature off for as long as they could, Judal concentrated hard. He held his wand with both hands, focusing all of his mental strength into it. The boy slowly stepped behind the growing mass of dark Ja'far. As the last of his prior hatred for Light Rukh was forced out of him, his wand brightened, and began heating up within his grasp.

_Before, I was never able to harness this much power. It almost seems as though Light Rukh is stronger than Dark Rukh! For Sinbad, and the sake of everyone I've hurt in the past; I want to redeem myself. This is what I know I must do._

Once his vision was clear, Judal was able to use a levitation spell to rise above his target in preparation for the piercing blow he was about to deliver. A beam of bright light extended from his wand like a spear. As he drew it back, the process was complete. He shrieked, releasing the concentration of Light Rukh from his grasp directly into the dark creature's back.

It immediately began overwhelming the Black Rukh; washing away the remainder of the cursed flesh of the monster that had consumed Ja'far's life. Ja'far, exhausted from the overuse of his power and his prior wounds, fell from the position he'd taken. Sinbad saw him as his levitation spell wore off, and caught the heroic boy just before he was about to hit the floor.

Everyone watched as the light dimmed. On the floor where Al-Thamen's curse stood, sat a tiny black emblem of what appeared to be obsidian. It bubbled with some sort of magical effect, but it was unclear as to what it really was. Yamuraiha knelt down to take a closer look, as she was well-versed in sorcery and the like. She reached out to touch it; screaming in pain as her finger came in contact with the small rock. Her entire arm had turned to obsidian.

"It's cursed," Yamuraiha said, looking down at her arm. "That rock is what contains the remnants of Al-Thamen's curse. If I had touched it for a longer period of time, my entire body could have been turned to obsidian. I should have been more careful."

The next day, the entire city attended Ja'far's funeral. His death was unexpected, and he was the king's closest friend. Sinbad sat on his bed crying that night, feeling like he'd made a wrong choice somewhere. He couldn't figure out what not to blame himself for. _I just wish I could have just gotten to tell him how I felt for all those years...and that I'm sorry._

Later on, just before the king was about to try to go to sleep for the night, he heard a knock at his door. When he opened it, the hallway was dark, however, he knew someone had to have knocked. He squinted, and ironically saw a faint shadow staring at him from across the hall. His heart dropped in fear for a moment, but then the feeling dissipated. Once the shadow moved into the light emitting from the king's room, it was clear that the dark figure was an apparition of Ja'far. _  
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Sinbad had never seen a ghost with his own two eyes, but at that moment, he could see a faint outline of the man's delicate face and body. Ja'far looked like he was crying; and moved closer to the king for support. He wasn't able to speak, but he apologized to Sinbad. The faded image of his face was enough to convey what he wanted to say. When Ja'far put out his hand, the man felt a cold sensation shoot up his arm.

"Ja'far, I'm...I'm so sorry this happened to you. I can't forgive myself, no matter how much of an accident it was."

Ja'far's face changed after Sinbad said that. He managed to take the form of a whisper instead of an apparition, and then approached the man's ear. "I'm sorry too, Sin. Please don't cry. I will be in your heart forever, and someday we'll meet again. Until that time, take good care of Judal... He loves you very, very much."

After the encounter, Sinbad knelt to the floor. "I will, Ja'far. I promise."


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is chapter seven. It appears we've got a new reader! Finally I've got Kain Sinner reading this! I'm so happy! Now I have to thank three people for the huge encouragement and motivation: Hylianshadow86, KikkyChan, and Kain Sinner! Thank you all so much. Please continue to read! I'm getting so much enjoyment out of writing this!**

After Ja'far's death, the entire country worked together to repair the damages that the Kou Empire left behind. Although Ja'far was irreplaceable, Sinbad realized he was one general short. The next night, he held an emergency meeting with his remaining seven generals.

"Good evening everyone. I've called this meeting because the issue of recruiting a new general has come up. We've been together as nine for almost a decade now, and that has proved to be a success," Said the king, standing at the head of the table. "I'd like to keep that number if possible, so I'd like to hear your thoughts on my vision."

Yamuraiha stood up to speak next. "I think adding an eighth general is a great idea; I'm all for it. Since the day of Ja'far's death, I've been thinking of a way in which we could make use of Judal's power. I think he would make an excellent general, so long as he's willing to commit to the position. He proved his worth right in front of all of us when he defeated that monster."

Sinbad's eyes grew wide at Yamuraiha's firm suggestion. "What do you think? I strongly agree with Yamuraiha. As long as Judal is willing to swear loyalty to Sindria, I see no reason why he should not be one of us," the king asked.

The seven generals talked it over for a few minutes, but it was clear that they each supported the idea of making Judal their newest comrade.

"Well, it's decided then. We will hold a meeting this time tomorrow and ask Judal what he says to joining forces with us," said Sinbad.

Just as everyone was about to get up to leave, Yamuraiha had a question of Sinbad that she thought was valid for the other six generals to hear. "Sinbad, before we all leave, I must ask you something."

"What is it?" The king said, slightly nervous.

She held a concentrated glare on him until he looked confident enough to hear what she wanted to ask. However, she started to blush when she opened her mouth. "I...I know what Ja'far said about you leaving was not entirely true, and that you didn't mean to hurt anyone, but... Are you really in love with Judal?"

All six generals froze at her bold question. Of course, they were all wondering the same thing; but she was the one who had the guts to ask.

Sinbad blushed a deep shade of red before trying to answer. "Uh... Everyone, yes. It is true; I do love Judal. We once hated each other, but part of the reason he was able to change was because of how he felt for me. I have been struggling with how to confront my sexuality for a number of years now. Nothing I did to try to make myself comfortable with it ever worked. I was too afraid of judgement," their king confessed. "Once I accepted Judal's love, his Black Rukh started to dissapear. That's how I could tell his feelings were true."

After the meeting, Sinbad and Yamuraiha stayed in the conference room and continued to converse further on what they had talked about during the meeting.

"How is your arm, Yamuraiha?" The king asked, noticing that the woman had on a long-sleeved shirt.

"I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to gain use of it again," the sorceress said, pulling up her sleeve. "Sinbad, I think the obsidian has begun to spread," she revealed, rolling her sleeve up onto her shoulder.

Yamuraiha's shoulder was now blackened and hard as well. "Why didn't you say something?" Sinbad asked, with serious concern. "We need to do something about this quickly. Normally, you're the person I'd turn to for help on breaking spells and curses, but unfortunately you're the victim this time. Judal knows some magic, but I'm not sure he'd know how to break a spell like this."

"I didn't want to worry anyone. There are so many matters at hand right now; it would have felt selfish for me to interrupt the group with my personal problems. I don't know what to do about this, Sin," Yamuraiha said. She looked scared; an emotion she rarely conveyed.

"We're going to have to find a second new general if we can't stop this from spreading soon," Sinbad said, touching the black, glossy arm. "This is serious. I'm not going to let another one of my generals die on my watch. It was hard enough accepting that Ja'far's death was an act of the inevitable more than anything else, but not you too, Yamuraiha. We fight for Sindria's safety and security, and you are included. Every single one of us is."

"Thank you, Sinbad."

The king went up to Judal's chamber with Yamuraiha a few minutes later and knocked at his door.

"Sin, what brings you here?" Judal asked.

"I apologize for interrupting your rest, but take a look at Yamuraiha's arm. It's gotten worse," Sinbad said, holding up the woman's obsidian limb.

"Oh dear. I didn't realize that was going to spread. I haven't much practice in removing spells, but I'll do what I can to prevent it from getting worse," said Judal, reassuringly. "That way, we will have some time to buy until we can find a way to eliminate the effects of the curse completely."

"How are you, Judal? I know that attack took much of your strength the other day," said Yamuraiha, as she sat; while Judal flipped through pages of an old book for a method to temporarily halt the effects of the general's spell.

"I've recuperated some. I should be fine within a few more days. You know, I've discovered that Light Rukh is a lot stronger than Black Ruhk. Whenever I got hurt prior to converting, it took much longer for me to recover from using up my energy. Thank you for your concern," said the boy.

"We weren't supposed to tell you this until the meeting tomorrow night, Judal; but myself and all of the generals are in favor of you joining us," said Sinbad, interrupting; spilling the big news.

Judal stopped what he was doing immediately and froze. "What? You'd let me become one of your generals?" The boy asked, in shock.

"Yes. It was actually Yamuraiha's idea," the king said. "What do you think?"

"Sin! Don't expect the poor boy to answer right this second!" Yamuraiha said, blushing from recognition.

"I'd be honored to. I'm not sure how much help I'd be, but I want to become a master at wielding Light Rukh. However, there is one problem: I still haven't figured out how to break free from my commitment to the Kou Empire."

"Together, we'll work out a solution to that problem. Tomorrow we're having another meeting, so we'd like for you to attend, Judal," said Sinbad, as he took the boy's hand.

"I'll be there, Sin," Judal said, smiling.

After a few minutes of reading, the boy found the pages he was looking for. "I'm going to need some water," he said.

"There is a well in the courtyard. We can go down there if you'd like," said Sinbad.

They brought Yamuraiha down to the well in the little square garden; perching her right on the well's edge. Judal took out his wand and drew a thick stream of water from the depths of the deep well. The water surrounded Yamuraiha's obsidian arm as the magi formed it into a coating of ice.

"This layer of ice should prevent the obsidian from spreading so long as you keep it frozen. However, it should last about a day before needing to be refrozen," said Judal. "The stones surrounding this water are very old, and they've helped to purify this spring over time."

"Oh, thank you!" The woman said, gratefully. "Truthfully, I'm not as good with freezing spells as I am with liquid water."

"You're very welcome, Miss."

After they had finished, Judal and Sinbad went back up to the king's chamber.

"It's been a long past few days, hasn't it?" Sinbad said, sighing as he laid down.

"It has," said the boy. "I don't know how you manage to carry the weight of this entire country on your shoulders, Sin. I don't think you receive enough credit for that."

"Thanks, Judal. I appreciate it," the man said, tiredly. "I'll continue to do whatever I can to protect Sindria; the people I love, and you. Now that I know you're on my side, I know you've got my back."

"Indeed," The smaller male said, as he sat down next to Sinbad. Judal watched the man; snuggling up against him, as he gently drifted off to sleep. "Rest well, Sin."


End file.
